Mountain Ecosystems & Ecotourism: Restoring Fragile Highlands

Must Know

Why mountains are fragile

• Higher places are colder. Rain and snow change with height and slope side.
• Forests, shrubs, grasslands and snow may form bands. The order differs on every mountain.
• Steep slopes give loose soil little room to stay. Mountain soils can be thin and slow to form.
• Roots help hold soil. They cannot stop a slide caused by weak rock or heavy rain.
• A road cut changes slope support and drainage.
• Source: IPCC AR6, mountain chapter.

Water towers and wildlife homes

• Snow and glaciers store frozen water. Rain, springs and wetlands also feed streams.
• Himalayan headwaters support the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems.
• The share from ice versus rain differs by basin and season.
• Some plants and animals live only in small mountain areas.
• Damage to a spring can hurt a village long after visitors leave.
• Source: Department of Science and Technology.

Linked parts of a slope

1. High land: snow, rain, rock.
2. Slope: soil, roots, roads.
3. Stream: runoff and springs.
4. Valley: homes, farms, wildlife.

A blocked drain can send water onto a weak slope. Loose rock then enters the stream. Projects need a whole-valley view.

Good to Know

One busy tourist day

• Cars add traffic, fumes, noise and parking demand.
• Hotels need water and produce sewage. A village may lack treatment.
• Walkers widen muddy trails. Many steps crush plants and expose soil.
• Plastic and food waste attracts animals and can wash into streams.
• Harm depends on design, visitor numbers and management.
• Source: NITI Aayog, 2018 Himalayan report.

Valley of Flowers example

• The Valley of Flowers is a protected highland site in Uttarakhand.
• The G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment studied waste along such trek routes, including Valley of Flowers–Hemkund Sahib.
• A trail needs bins, sorting, collection and a way to carry waste out.
• Local guides help, but need fair pay and clear duties.
• The findings describe their study period, not today’s waste total.
• Source: GBPNIHE case studies.

Ecotourism versus nature tourism

• A green label alone does not prove low impact.
• India’s 2021 forest-ecotourism guidance stresses local participation. Source: MoEFCC.

Carrying capacity

• It asks how much use a place can bear without unacceptable harm.
• It is not one fixed number for every season.
• Water supply, trail width, weather and waste services change it.
• Time slots, marked paths or fewer vehicles can help.
• Limits can cut local earnings. Communities should help set the rules.
• Source: UN Environment mountain-tourism guide.

Great to Know

Prevent before repairing

• Avoid building on the most hazardous or valuable sites.
• An EIA can test alternatives before a covered project gets clearance.
• Eco-sensitive zones regulate some activities near protected areas. Rules depend on each notification.
• Commercial mining and quarrying are generally prohibited in these zones. Local livelihoods are not all banned.
• Source: MoEFCC, ESZ guide.
• Road builders must manage cut slopes and drains.

Repair damage

• Close a badly eroded shortcut. Repair the main trail.
• Plant suitable native species. A plantation is not right for every alpine meadow.
• Protect spring catchments. Keep sewage out of streams.
• Sort waste near its source. Carry non-recyclables out of fragile areas.
• Track plant survival, clear drains, stable slopes and clean water.
• Source: UN report on mountain waste.

Climate raises the stakes

• Warming is shrinking many glaciers.
• Heavy rain and unstable slopes raise flood and landslide risk.
• A glacier lake can release water suddenly. Danger differs by lake.
• Not every landslide is caused by climate change. Geology and road cuts matter too.
• Source: IPCC AR6.

Who acts in India?

• State forest and tourism bodies manage many visitor sites.
• Local bodies handle water and waste.
• Protected-area managers set site rules.
• NMSHE supports research and climate planning. It is one of eight missions in the 2008 National Action Plan on Climate Change.
• NMSHE is not a permit office for every hotel or road.